Gravity return bump gates



Oct. 22, 1957 W. H. KOCH GRAVITY RETURN BUMP GATES Filed April 7, 1954 v. R A I n 2 (X: Rt Q R? g .h m 3 N ma w v Z? N & ML Q Q g? Q INVENTOR. Q, R? Y Z006 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 .QTTOENEU Oct. 22, 1957 w. H. KOCH 2,810,220

GRAVITY RETURN BUMP GATES Filed April 7, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

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INVENTOR. )f/fi/sml ,am BY HT TOQ N E U United States Patent GRAVITY RETURN BUMP GATES William H. Koch, Minneapolis, Minn. Application April 7, 1954, Serial No. 421,476

2 Claims. (Cl. 39-31) My present invention relates to improvements in swing ing gates and more particularly to a bump gate that is opened by bumping a vehicle against the gate and returned to a closed position by the force of gravity.

The principal object of this invention is to provide extremely simple and inexpensive means for suspending a gate for horizontal swinging movement on either side of a closed position and that is swung open by bumping a vehicle there-against and returned to a closed position by the force of gravity.

This and other objects will be apparent from the following description, references being had to the drawings.

To the above end the invention consists of the novel devices and combination of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of the gate closed between two gate posts, a hinge post, to which the gate is swingably hinged to open on either side of a closed position and bump actuated latch mechanism holding the gate closed;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail view of the gate, the hinge post to which the gate is hinged and the gate post on which the hinge post is mounted, on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view in horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the intermediate portion of the gate, on the same scale as Figs. 2 and 3;

Fig. 5 is a view partly in plan and partly in section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view in vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a view in horizontal section taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. l, on the same scale as Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detail view partly in front elevation and partly in vertical section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

The numeral 9 indicates the gate in the form of a horizontally elongated rectangular skeleton frame comprising a plurality of horizontal tubular members 10 and an inner, an outer and two intermediate upright tubular members 11, 12 and 13 respectively. The members 10, 11, 12 and 13 are all rigidly connected.

The gate 9 normally closes an opening between two gate posts 14 and 15. A hinge post 16, as shown, an upright tubular member between the gate 9 and the gate post 14 is rigidly secured to said gate post by a long upper bolt 17 and a similar lower bolt 18. These bolts 17 and 18 each has a head 19, is screw threaded and extends horizontally through aligned holes in the gate post 14 and the hinge posts 16.

The bolts 17 and 18 are rigidly held in the gate post '14 by their heads 19 and nuts 20 applied to said bolts at the cpposite side of the post 14 from the heads 19; Washers 21 are applied to the bolts 17 and 18 between their.

heads 19 and the gate post 14, and between the'nuts 20 and said gate post. A pair of nuts 22 applied to each bolt 17-18 impinge opposite sides of the hinge post 16 and rigidly hold the bolts 17-18 in said hinge post.

The bolts 17-18 hold the hinge post 16 inwardly inclined relative to the gate 9 when closed and toward the gate post 14. By adjusting the hinge post 16 on the bolts 17-18 the inclination thereof may be varied, at will.

The gate 9 is attached at its inner end, to the hinge post 16 by a pair of strap hinges 23, each of which is folded upon itself. These hinges 23 pivotally encircle the hinge post 16 more than halfway around the same. The gate 9 at its inner end portion extends between the end portions of the hinges 23 and said end portions of the hinges 23 overlap the inner upright member 11 and the upper and lower member 10 and are secured thereto by bolts 24. Each hinge 23 rests on a collar 25 encircling the hinge posts 16 and fixed thereto.

Due to the different operative lengths of the hinges 23, between the gate 9 and the inclined hinge post 16, the gate 9 is upwardly tilted from its hinged end as the same is bumped into an open position. With the gate 9 in this tilted open position, the force of gravity returns the gate 9 to a closed position.

On each side of the gate 9, midway between the two intermediate upright frame members 13, is an upright bump bar 26, in the form of a channel, having fixed to its lower end portion, a pair of hingelugs 27 which are connected to a second pair of hinge lugs 27' by a pivot pin 28. The hinge lugs 27' are fixed to the lower member 10, the flanges of the bump bar 26 are in opposing relation and the hinge pins 28 extend horizontally parallel to the gate 9.

The bump bars 26, at their upper end portions, extend into a horizontal rectangular guide 29 that extends transversely through the gate 9. This guide 29 comprises a pair of long side bars 30 and a pair of short end bars 31 rigidly connected. Each end of the guide 29 is supported by a horizontal bar 32 the intermediate portion of which extends parallel to and on the outer side of the respective end bars 31 and is secured thereto by a nut equipped bolt 33. The end portions of the two bars 32, on each side of the guide 29, are in converging relation and bear transversely on opposite sides of the adjacent intermediate upright frame member 13 and are secured thereto by a nutequipped bolt 34. The bars 32 afford guards for the bump bars 26, as will presently appear.

Normally, the bump bars 26 are stopped against outward movement from the gate 9 by the guide end mem- A long latch rod 36 and a cooperating latch rod keeper 7 37 releasably hold the gate 9 closed. The latch rod 36 is mounted for horizontal endwise sliding movement in aligned holes in the outer upright framemember 12 and the foremost intermediate upright frame member 13. The latch rod keeper 37 is fixed to the gate post 15 in opposing relation to the front end of the gate 9.

A coiled spring 38, encircling the latch rod 36 is held slightly compressed between the foremost upright frame member 13 and a collar 39 fixed to the latch rod 36 forward of said upright frame member and yieldingly holds said latch rod projected. The latch rod keeper 37 includes a rectangular metal plate 40 secured to the gate post 15 by lag screws 41.

An inverted V-shaped base member 42 is fixed to the face of the plate 40 and the apex thereof is flattened at 43 at approximately the level of the underside of the outer end portion of the latch rod 36. A pair of downwardly Patented Oct. 22, 1957 converging arms 44, at their upper end portions, are pivoted at.45 to the plate 40 above the base member 42 for swinging movement toward each other. Fixed to the upper end portion of each arm 44 is an upstanding ear 44. A coiled spring 44 connects the cars 44* atftheir'upper ends and yieldingly holds the arms 44 with their'lower or free ends, which are beveled, on the extreme-outer end portions of the flattened portion 45 of thebase member 42 as stops thereby preventing the arms 44 from swinging outwardly.

There is sufficient clearance between the latch rod 36 and the arms 44 to permit either ofthe arms 44 to swing inwardly above the latch rod 36; In case the gate 9 has sagged, the latch rod 361 during the closing movement of the gate 9" will strike either one of the: cam surfaces,46

of the base member 42, depending on which way the gate 9 is closing and be cammed thereby onto the flattened surface 43 of the base member 42; i

The latch rod 36 is endwise withdrawn, by the following connections from the latch rod keeper 37 to release the gate 9 and permit it to be swung open by avehicle bumping one of the bump bars 26. These connections include a horizontally disposed triangular lever plate 47 on one side of the gate 9 between the two bump bars 26. One corner portion of the lever plate 47 extends between and is pivoted to a pair of long ears 48 fixed to the bump bar 26 on the same side of the gate 9 as the lever plate 47 and projecting inwardly therefrom. A short link 49 is pivoted at one end portion to an extension 50 fixed to the inner end of the latch rod 36 and the other end portion of said link is pivoted to a second corner portion of the lever plate 47. A long link 51 is pivoted at one-end portion, to a pair of ears 52 between which it extends, fixed to the bump bar 26 on the opposite side of the gate 9 from the lever plate 47 These ears'52 are similar to the cars 48 and in opposing relation thereto. This link 51 extends transversely over the link 49 and the lever plate 47 and is pivoted at its other end portion to the third corner of the lever plate 47.

From the above description it is evident that an automotive vehicle moving along the driveway closed by the gate 9 materially reduces its speed and bumps the bump bar 26 which the vehicle is facing. The initial movement of the bumped bump bar 26 toward the gate 9 will retract the latch rod 36' and withdraw it from between the arms 44 and thus unlatch the gate 9. Further movement of the bumped bump bar 26 toward the gate 9 will bring the same into contact with the adjacent bolt 35 as abase of resistance with suflicient force to swing the gate 9'into an open position in which it is substantially perpendicular to its closed position.

As heretofore stated, the inclined hinge posts about which the hinges turn pivotally, will upwardly tilt the gate 9 during its opening movements whereby when the gate 9 reaches its extreme open position the force of graving against the bump bars 26 and thereby move the same pivotally inwardly and operate the latch mechanism to unlatchthe gate 9 and permit the same to swing open. It will be noted that the bump bars 26 do not project above the guard bars 32 where they could be engaged and operated by cattle to unlatch the gate 9.

During the final closing movement of the gate 9 the free end portion of the latch rod 36 strikes the adjacent arm 44 which swings said arm inwardly and upwardly to permit the latch-rod 36 to pass under the same. After the latch rod 36 has passed thev respective arm 44, said arm drops by the force of gravity and thereby locks the latch rod 36 in the latch keeper 37.

While there are herein disclosed but a limited number of embodiments of 'the structure, process and product of the invention herein presented, it is possible to produce still other embodiments without departing from the inventive concept herein disclosed, and it is desired therefore, that only such limitations be imposed on the appended claims as are stated herein, or required by the prior art.

What I claim is:

1. In a gate, a body portion, bump members pivotally connected to said body portion for movement toward and from said body portion, a latch bar slidably mounted on said body portion, a single extension member con nected to the inner end of said latch bar, a short link having one end pivotally connected to the inner end of said extension member, the other end of said short link pivotally connected to a triangularly formed fiat lever plate, a long link pivotally connected to said lever plate and one of said bump members, said lever plate also pivotally connected to the other of said bump members, means for urging said latch bar into its outermost position for engagement with a latch keeper, and guide means for said bump members.

2. In a gate, a body portion; bump members pivotally connected to said body portion for movement toward and from said'body portion, a latch bar slidably mounted on said body portion, a short single link member having one end pivotally connected to the inner end of said latch bar, the other end of said short link pivotally connected to a triangularly formed fiat lever plate, anear member connected to each of said bump members, a long link pivotally connected to said lever plate and one of said ear members, said lever plate also pivotally connected to the other of said ear members, means for urging said latch bar into its outermost position for engagement with a latch keeper, and guide means for said bump members.

References Cited in the file. of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,344,820 Reh June 29, 1920 1,798,699 Ralston Mar. 31, 1931 2,062,738 Bigler Dec. 1, 1936 2,076,092 Pinard Apr. 6, 1937 2,585,481 Martin Feb. 12, 1952 2,599,211 Tilbury June 3, 1952 2,629,191 Koch et al. Feb. 24, 1953 2,651,806 Thompson Sept. 15, 1953 2,685,142 Reinebach Aug. 3, 1954 

